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Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards (1952–1996), born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of Chic and on his own. He is considered one of the most important bass players of the 20th century. History Edwards, Nile Rodgers and Tony Thompson formed the band Chic together with singer Norma Jean Wright in 1976. They were famous for era-defining hits such as "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Everybody Dance", "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love" and "Good Times". Edwards also worked with Nile Rodgers to produce and write for other artists, using Chic to perform everything musically and vocally except lead vocals. Those productions with Norma Jean Wright, Sister Sledge, Sheila B. Devotion, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry and Fonzi Thornton led to more hits such as "Saturday", "He's The Greatest Dancer", "We Are Family", "Spacer", "Upside Down", "I'm Coming Out" and "Backfired" to name a few. Chic split up in 1983, and Edwards released a solo album the same year. Duran Duran and Power Station Very early in Duran Duran's history, John Taylor was inspired to switch from guitar to bass by listening to Chic records, and the band often described their sound as "Chic meets the Sex Pistols". Taylor often played the song "Good Times" during his solo performances with his band Terroristen and cited Edwards as his primary influence. Edwards was instrumental in the formation of the supergroup Power Station in late 1984. The band's 1985 album was produced by Edwards and featured Chic drummer Tony Thompson, Duran Duran members John and Andy Taylor, and singer Robert Palmer. Edwards also produced the James Bond theme "A View To A Kill" in 1985. In 1987, Edwards participated in a reunion of the Power Station, and stayed on as recording and touring bassist when John Taylor had to bow out of the project. In the mid-2000s, Duran Duran played parts of the Chic-produced hit "We Are Family" in a medley with their hit "Notorious." Edwards played a Music Man StingRay which was bequeathed to John Taylor after his death. Later life Edwards followed up the Power Station by producing Robert Palmer's hit album Riptide. He continued to produce artists throughout the 1980s and '90s. Edwards teamed up with Rodgers again for the Chic reunion in the early 1990s and released the album Chic-ism in 1992. He fell ill with pneumonia during a tour in Japan in 1996, and died the evening after the Budokan Arena concert in Tokyo. Influence The Edwards bass line from the Chic hit "Good Times" has become one of the most copied pieces of music in history, and had a huge influence on musicians of many genre. The bass line was the inspiration for "Another One Bites the Dust" by the rock group Queen. The bass line was used without credit or royalty for the first rap hit in history, Sugarhill Gang's "Rappers Delight" in 1979, and on the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five on their hit "...On The Wheels Of Steel" in 1982. The following twenty-odd years has seen it sampled by artists of diverse genres, from rap to punk and techno to pop. External links * chictribute.com * "Bernard Edwards of Chic, Part 1" and "Part 2", Bass Player, September and October 2006 Category:Musicians Category:Record producers